Somebody That I Used to Know
by mandamaeee
Summary: After Rachel got pregnant, she moved away from Lima to start a new life with her daughter. But what happens when the baby's father comes into town? And what happens when the baby's father doesn't know he's the father? *Currently on hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

"Momma!"

It was a cry that Rachel Berry was very familiar with. It was the cry of her daughter, Elizabeth Mae. Lizzie, for short. The brown haired, green eyed little girl had just celebrated her first birthday. Rachel spoiled her with gifts as she had been spoiled as a child. Rachel's fathers and best friend, Quinn Fabray were the only ones to attend Lizzie's party. Little Lizzie didn't know the difference, seeing as how these four adults were usually the only ones in her life. She was too young to realize that there was a person missing in her life; her father.

"I'm right here, angel." Rachel coddled the little girl in the wee hours of the morning, singing her softly back to sleep.

Just a few short blocks away from the one bedroom apartment Rachel dwelled in was none other than Sam Evans. He was freshly moved in to his studio apartment in New York City, ready to put his degree in technical theater to work. He had no idea that not even a mile away, Rachel Berry was singing his daughter to sleep.

"Hello, beautiful baby girl!" As usual, Quinn Fabray greeted Lizzie before giving Rachel a hug. Every Tuesday, the girls would meet for coffee at nearest Starbucks to catch up.

"Hello, Quinn," Rachel smiled at her best friend as she pushed Lizzie's stroller in front of her, heading up to the counter to place their usual order; a caramel latte for Quinn and an iced skinny mocha for Rachel. The pair took a seat in the closet booth and Rachel sat Lizzie in her lap, letting her play with the contents of her purse.

"So, how did the job interview go?" Quinn asked, taking a small sip of her drink. Rachel furrowed her brow.

"Not so well. The manager said I was over qualified," she said.

"Well, that makes sense. You're better than cheap pizza shop, Rachel," Quinn replied.

"I don't have many options, Quinn. A one year old isn't cheap, and my contract with the Starlight Café is almost up," she said, staring down at her drink.

"Then start auditioning again! You're bound to land a role," she said.

"I can't. I haven't left Elizabeth since the day she was born, if I got into a show I would be away from her all the time. Besides, I can't exactly afford child care at the moment," she said.

"Well, you have me," Quinn said, raising her eyebrows.

"I appreciate the offer, Quinn, but I can't spend all my time at the theater. Elizabeth needs her mother," she said. Lizzie clapped her hands and squealed at the sound of her name, then continued to dig through Rachel's purse.

"But Broadway is your dream, Rachel. It always has been."

"Well, dreams can change. Now my dream is to give my daughter everything I can."

The door of the café jingled as someone walked in. Quinn's eyes automatically went to the door, and then they grew wide with fear. Rachel, having her back turned to the door, raised an eye brow at Quinn's facial expression.

"A peppermint mocha, please."

Rachel knew that voice. She hadn't heard it for nearly two years. Her blood ran cold and she shut her eyes.

"Quinn… please don't tell me-"

"That Sam is ordering coffee right now?" she asked, her voice low. "Okay, I won't tell you."

Rachel took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"Okay, okay. Maybe we can sneak out. There's an exit in the back, right? We just have to-"

"Quinn? Is that you?" It was too late. Sam had spotted the pair, though he didn't seem to realize Rachel was the one across from Quinn. He approached the table with a smile on his face. "Hey! How a- Rachel…"

It was obvious that Sam wasn't expecting to see Rachel. His heart started to beat faster, and flashes of the fateful night two years ago ran through his head. His eye was automatically drawn to the toddler sitting in Rachel's lap. The little girl just looked up at him, staring with big eyes.

"Hello, Sam." Rachel hardly recognized her own voice. It was hoarse. Scared.

"H-Hi," Sam replied, looking between Lizzie and Rachel. Quinn cleared her throat.

"It's nice to see you, Sam. Rachel and I were just leaving."

To avoid any further commotion, Quinn stood up, nodding at Rachel so she would follow her lead. Rachel nodded as well and stood, placing Lizzie back in her stroller. Her lips were pursed together to keep her from saying anything. In a hurried blur, the girl's left a stuttering Sam in the middle of Starbucks.

This was Rachel's worst nightmare.

(2)


	2. Chapter 2

"Rachel, honey, you need to leave your apartment at some point."

"No, I don't. And I won't. I'm staying in here forever." It'd been three days since Rachel encountered Sam in the coffee shop. In those three days, she got the full story from Quinn; how Sam had moved to New York to work lights for a new musical opening in a few short months. Now Rachel couldn't get away.

"What about Lizzie? You can't keep her cooped up in there forever," Quinn said through the phone. Rachel sighed.

"I suppose. But what happens if I see Sam again?"

"So what if you do? You nod your head and keep walking. You made your choice to keep Sam out of Elizabeth's life, there's no reason it should change now that you've seen him again."

"He's going to start asking questions, Quinn. He's going to suspect something, and you know it. If he sees her again… you know Lizzie has his eyes."

"I know…"

"Look, I'm just not ready to face him yet."

"But that doesn't mean you should be locked in your apartment all alone. At least meet me at the park or something? You have a better chance of avoiding him there."

Rachel sighed again. "Okay, fine. I'll see you soon."

Rachel hung up the phone and stood up from her bed, running her fingers through her hair. Her daughter, who sat on the floor playing with her blocks, looked up at her with questioning eyes. "Want to go to the park?" The little girl squealed with excitement, which immediately brought a smile to Rachel's face. She changed Lizzie into some new clothes, then packed up her diaper bag.

She couldn't help but think about how different things might be if Sam was in Lizzie's life. Would they be taking her to the park together? Would they even be a family? What would he say if he knew? Her stomach churned at the very thought.

Rachel tied her hair up into a bun and left her apartment building, pushing Lizzie in a stroller in front of her as she walked. Once she made it to the park, she sent Quinn a quick text to tell her to meet her at the playground. She set Lizzie in the sandbox to play and took a seat on the bench nearby to wait for Quinn.

"Rachel."

It was that voice again. The one she knew so well.

She didn't look up, so he repeated himself. "Rachel?"

She glanced up just in time to see Sam sitting down next to her on the bench. Rachel automatically scooted a few inches further from him.

"Hello, Sam," she said, looking away from him as well.

"How are you?" he asked. His tone sounded different to her. Awkward. Scared.

"I'm fine." She wasn't exactly sure what to say to him. She was hoping the conversation would end as quickly as it began. But she had no such luck.

"Is she yours?" Sam was nodding in Lizzie's direction. Rachel felt her face grow pale. She gave him a small nod.

"Her name is Elizabeth." She glanced over at him, checking his expression carefully. It was the first time she really got a decent look at him. He looked older. But he still had the same, dopey smile she fell for so long ago.

"She's beautiful," he said in a softer tone, looking at the little girl again. Rachel smiled to herself, looking at her daughter. She truly was blessed to have such an amazing daughter, and she knew it. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt that Sam didn't get a chance to experience all the joy that Lizzie brought to her.

"She's yours."

She couldn't believe that she just came out and said it, plain as day.

"I know." Rachel's head snapped over to Sam, her eyes wide.

"You do?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit more hoarse than it had earlier.

"Yeah." Again, Rachel felt the guilt in her stomach.

"H-How did you know?"

"Quinn told me." A surge of frustration hit Rachel, but Sam continued before she could show it. "And she has my eyes."

"Sam, I-"

"Rachel, why didn't you tell me?" he asked, turning to face her.

"I couldn't, Sam. I-"

"I could have been there for you. For both of you," he said, his voice raising. Suddenly, Rachel heard a familiar cry coming from the sandbox. She quickly rushed over to her, picking up her sobbing one year old. The little girl had pinched her finger while playing with a sand bucket and was now pouting and sniffling.

"You're okay, you're okay," Rachel said, kissing the little girl's head over and over. She sat back down on the bench, Lizzie in her lap. Sam watching Lizzie carefully, his eyes full of concern. "She's fine, she just pinched her finger."

Sam gave her a nod, still looking at the baby in Rachel's arm. It was unbelievable to him; Rachel was holding his daughter.

"Can I… can I hold her?" Sam asked. Rachel pursed her lips together.

"Not today. Maybe-" she hesitated a moment. "Maybe we can meet up another time and you can get to know her a bit."

"I would really love that," he said with a bright smile.

"But first, you and I need to talk. Just us. I'll talk to Quinn about babysitting sometime this week," she said. Sam nodded.

"Well, you know how to get a hold of me," Sam said, looking into Rachel's eyes. Rachel swallowed her.

"Of course," she said, expressionless. "I'm meeting Quinn here, I think it'd be best if you left for now."

Sam nodded again. "Yeah, okay. I'll uhm- I'll see you around."

Rachel pursed her lips together, breaking eye contact with Sam to put her attention on her daughter. Once Sam started to walk away, she turned up to watch him. As he left, she felt hot tears spring to her eyes.

(3)


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting on the bench, Rachel reached her hand up to wipe away her tears. She looked down at the little baby in her arms and smiled. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" She voiced the meaningless words to her daughter, but was really asking herself.

"Are you okay?" Rachel jumped when she heard Quinn's voice, nearly forgetting she was meeting her here.

"I'm fine," she replied, setting Lizzie back in her stroller.

"I saw Sam," Quinn said, eyeing Rachel carefully. Rachel gave her a nod.

"I know," Rachel said.

"You can't just keep acting like this is okay, Rachel," Quinn said.

"I'm not! I know that it's not okay, Quinn! I understand that this is a big deal. But if I lose my cool over this guy, then it could screw my daughter's life up forever. She could get attached to him and just leave, just like he did before," she said. Quinn pursed her lips together as the two girls stood up and started to walk. They stayed silent for a moment.

"I don't think Lizzie is the one that's going to get attached," Quinn said quietly. Rachel took in a sharp breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It's supposed to mean that I think you feel something for him," Quinn replied. Rachel stayed quiet a moment, choosing her words carefully.

"Sam's the father of my child, it's impossible to not feel something for him," she said.

"I think it's more than that," Quinn said.

"Well, you're wrong, Quinn. Okay? You're wrong. I-I feel absolutely nothing for Sam Evans. What we had was a brief affair that was it," she said.

"Do you believe that?" Quinn asked. Rachel gave her a defiant nod.

"I do."

After Rachel returned home, she tucked Lizzie into her crib for a nap and made herself a cup of tea. She curled up in her arm chair, flipping the TV on for some background noise. She couldn't get her thinking straight. Maybe Quinn was right. Maybe she was worried about falling in love was Sam all over again. But was she really in love with him in the first place? She didn't know.

She knew what she had to do. She had to talk to the one person who knew her better than she knew herself.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number, anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Well, hello Miss Berry," the familiar voice said.

"Kurt! Oh, I'm so glad you picked up. You're not in rehearsal are you?" she asked. Kurt had landed a role in an off Broadway production of Legally Blonde: The Musical and was now traveling all over the country performing.

"No, one of the sorority sisters fell off a set piece and broke her ankle. We got a ten minute break. Speak to me, dear, what's up? How've you been? How's the baby?" he asked.

"I'm alright. Lizzie's great. She loved the birthday gift you sent her, by the way," she said.

"Well, every toddler deserves a pair of Prada shoes," he said. Rachel giggled, then let out a small sigh. "Are you sure you okay? You're quiet. You're never quiet."

"I saw Sam," she said, closing her eyes as she said the words aloud.

"Sam? As in 'Trouty Mouth?' As in 'you slept with him at Puckerman's end of summer party?' That Sam?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes. That Sam," she said.

"And? Did he see Lizzie?" he asked.

"Sort of. It was by accident. I took Lizzie to the park to meet Quinn and he was there," she said.

"So he knows?" he asked.

"He know."

"Oh my Gaga. This is the biggest scandal I've heard in a while! So what is he going to do? What are you going to do?"

"I told him that we could spend some time together and he could get to know her a bit. But he and I have to see each other first so we could talk things out," she said.

"Sounds fair enough," he said.

"I know, but-"

"Rach, I've gotta get back to rehearsal. I love you and I miss you like crazy! Kiss Lizzie for me. Mwah!" And with that, Rachel was listening to an empty phone line. She sighed and set her phone done, curling up into her chair to rest her chin on her knees.

The next step would be the hardest, and she knew it. But she gave Sam her word, and steps needed to be taken accordingly. She picked up her phone and dialed the number she could never bring herself to delete.

"Hello?"

"Sam, it's Rachel."

"Hey.." he said tentatively.

"Are you busy tonight?"

"No, not really. Why, is everything okay?"

"Quinn said she can babysit tonight. So… we should talk."

"We should do more than talk. How about I take you to dinner?" Rachel hesitated.

"A-Alright."

"Let's meet at Delmonico's at 8. I'll see you then?"

"See you then."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're sure you're okay with this, right?" Rachel asked Quinn as she hurried to put her coat on.

"I'm positive. Go out and have a good time," Quinn said, ushering Rachel toward the door.

"The point of this is not to have a good time. It's to discuss our daughter and their relationship. Not outs," she corrected her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. If he pays, it's a date. Now get out of here." Quinn giggled as she pushed Rachel out the door the rest of the way, leaving Rachel alone in the hallway of her apartment building. She sighed, collecting her thoughts, and headed out front to catch a taxi to the restaurant. Her little black dress clung to her body, fitting her form perfectly. On the ride there, she checked her makeup and fixed her hair. Why was she so nervous?

Once she reached the restaurant, she spotted Sam waiting outside for her. He looked as handsome as ever. She took a deep breath and got out of the taxi. A smile immediately fell onto Sam's face. He walked over and met her.

"Good evening, Miss Berry. May I escort you inside?" he asked, a phony British accent lingering in his voice. Rachel smiled and nodded, taking the arm he offered out to her.

"Of course you may," she said, walking inside with him. Once they were placed at a table, Rachel started looking over the menu. "This place doesn't have many vegan options."

"Don't they have vegan lasagna? Your favorite," he said, not taking his eyes off his menu. Rachel glanced up with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, of course," she said, looking back down at her menu.

"I want to see Elizabeth," Sam said, setting his menu down.

"I know you do, Sam. But first-"

"She's my daughter, too. And she doesn't even know I'm her dad. It's not fair, Rachel," he said, his voice low. Rachel pursed her lips together, lowering her menu slowly.

"I made my choice like you made yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means as soon as we had intercourse you dropped everything and left Lima. You didn't talk to me once," she hissed.

"There's a lot more to it than that, Rachel," he said.

"What else could there possibly be? How hard is it to pick up a phone once in a while?!"

"May I get you something to drink?" There was never a more awkward time for a waiter to come. The two placed their orders, then remained silent for a few moments.

"Can I please… please see her?" Sam begged, looking down at his hands.

"Sam…"

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I'm sorry I didn't call you. I'm sorry I just… left. Okay? I'm sorry. Just please… please let me see my daughter."

Rachel hesitated. The waited brought their food and placed it in front of the silent pair. Suddenly, Rachel wasn't feeling very hungry anymore.

"Tomorrow. You can come by my apartment, that's where she's most comfortable. I don't want her to freak out," she said, playing with her food. She could feel the relief coming from Sam's body. He reached across the table and took her hand. Rachel's stomach flipped, a million butterflies taking occupancy.

"Thank you."

Rachel nodded, feeling his thumb run over hers. Her heart was beating faster now. "So.. can we just enjoy our dinner now?" she asked, smiling weakly. He smiled and agreed.

After dinner was finished, the awkward tension in the air seemed to disappear. The two were talking and laughing as if they were back in high school; Sam would do an impression or make a lame joke, sending Rachel into a fit of girly giggles.

"I had a really wonderful time tonight, Sam," Rachel said as they walked back toward her apartment. They figured a walk would give them a bit more time to spend together. A taxi wasn't nearly as exciting.

"I'm surprised you actually agreed to come out with me. I thought you hated my guts," he said.

"I do. Well, I did," she said. His face fell. "What I mean is I was upset with you."

"You had every right to be."

"Sam…"

"Rach, I mean it." They stopped outside Rachel's apartment building, the cold air hitting Rachel's face like a ton of bricks. Sam placed his hands on the upper part of Rachel's arms, looking into her eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you. And it's killing me that I put you through so much. I promise you, I'm gonna make it up to you somehow."

"You really don't have-"

"But I want to. I want to be the reason you smile. And I wanna be there to see that smile every day. I want to be able to raise our daughter together. I want to be there as she hits all those milestones." Rachel felt hot tears spring to her eyes. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

Sam stroked her cheek softly before pulling her into a hug. Rachel fell into his arms with ease, burying her face into his chest. Her arms wrapped around him and he held her close. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. For everything."

Rachel couldn't bring herself to speak. She just nodded into his chest, taking in his scent before he was gone again.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" he asked, smiling softly as he pulled away. She nodded and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. With that, he was gone.

Rachel walked upstairs to her apartment, very slowly. She walked into her apartment where Quinn was buried in a book. She set it down in a hurry as soon as Rachel walked in.

"So? How was it?!" she asked. Rachel searched her mind for the right words.

"He paid."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Rachel woke up in a better mood than she had in a while. She spent most of the night talking to Quinn about everything that happened on the date, and Quinn left after making sure Rachel heard more than once that she was right.

Rachel showered and dressed while Lizzie was still sleeping, and she made herself a cup of tea right before her little angel woke up. Humming, she picked got Lizzie ready for the day before her phone started to ring.

"Hello?" she answered with a smile, seeing the familiar number.

"I told you I'd call," Sam said on the other line.

"I knew you would," she said, balancing Lizzie on her hip.

"Oh yeah?" Sam asked. Rachel could hear the smile in his voice, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Yeah, I- Lizzie, stop it, Mommy's on the phone." On the other end, Sam bit his lip.

"What's she doing?" he asked hesitantly.

"She keeps grabbing at the phone." In the back, Sam could hear Lizzie whining. "Here, do you want to say hi to Sam?"

Rachel held the phone up to her daughter's ear. Sam heard Rachel saying "Say hi!" from afar. A tiny voice squeaked "Hi!" making Sam smile widely.

"Hi, Lizzie," he said back. Just hearing the little girl's voice was all he needed. Soon, Rachel was back on the phone. Sam heard her say "Alright, go play!" because she returned.

"I'm sorry about that. She's a social butterfly," Rachel said, sitting in the arm chair as she watched Lizzie toddle over to her toys. Sam chuckled.

"It's alright. She gets that from me," he joked. Rachel bit her lip, still slightly uncomfortable with talking about this with Sam. "So listen," Sam continued. "I had a really nice time last night."

"I did too," Rachel said, playing with a piece of her hair mindlessly.

"Do you think… we could do it again sometime?" he asked.

"Well, I've been thinking…" Rachel started.

"Okay?"

"We should go to the park today." She paused. "I want to bring Lizzie."

Sam was dumbstruck for a moment, and it took him a few seconds to find his voice again.

"Yeah, okay. I'd love to," he said, smiling on the other end of the phone. Rachel smiled brightly.

"Great! So I'll uhm… see you in about an hour?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect. See you soon," he said.

Once they both hung up the phone, Rachel scooped up her little girl and kissed her cheek. "Are you ready to go see Sam?"

The little girl giggled and clapped her hands. Rachel saw this as a good sign.

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the familiar pathway of the park. His heart was beating faster than it had before. How was this supposed to happen? Elizabeth was his daughter. And she didn't know him as anything other than a stranger. It wasn't fair. He still felt cheated by Rachel, missing out on the first year or so on his daughter's life. However, he knew Rachel had her reasons.

Soon, he saw the beautiful brunette walking toward him pushing a stroller, with the bouncing, blonde baby looking around excitedly. Sam lifted his hand in a wave, then gave Rachel a hug as they approached.

"Hey, Rach," he said, smiling as he hugged her. Rachel gave him a light hug back.

"Hi, Sam. Nice to see you again."

"You too." Rachel moved to the nearby bench before getting Lizzie out of the stroller. Sam bit his lip, looking at the little girl. She had his eyes. The little girl looked at Sam timidly, clutching her mother's shoulder.

"Lizzie, this is Sam." Rachel looked Sam in the eyes. "Sam… this is Lizzie."

Sam smiled. He wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. Regret? Happiness? Pain? He couldn't decide. But he kept his smile and waved at the little girl.

"Hey, Lizzie. Nice to finally meet you!" he said. Lizzie buried her head in Rachel's shoulder with a giggle.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't be shy now. Make a liar out of me," Rachel said laughing. Lizzie looked over at Sam, examining him. Sam's been judged before, but never so hard. And by a one year old. She soon reached her arms out to Sam, whining, wanting to be held. Sam gave Rachel a questioning look and she nodded. He took the little girl in his arms and bounced her gently. She looked at him and brought a finger up to his lips, poking at them. Sam laughed, making Lizzie laugh.

Rachel smiled brightly. "She likes you!"

"That was the plan!" he said, laughing. He carried the little girl over to the playground and Rachel followed. Rachel took a seat on the swing while Lizzie toddled over to the child size slide. Sam stood behind Rachel and pushed her slightly. There was no reason this couldn't turn into more than a casual get together.

"I meant what I said," he said.

"And what was that again?" she asked with a coy smile.

"You know, about having a great time."

"I know. I had an amazing time."

"I'd really like to do it again, sometime." Rachel smiled softly.

"I would too, Sam." Sam stopped the swing and looked down at Rachel. She had her head tilted up toward him, a smile still planted on her face. He leaned down, planning on kissing her. That was until he heard a happy squeal and Lizzie jumped into Rachel's lap. They both laughed, but Sam felt defeated. The time wasn't right. Not yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Fall was quickly approaching. The colors on the trees were changing, as were the feelings Rachel and Sam were having toward each other. When they weren't together, they were either talking on the phone or texting back and forth non-stop. From the time they woke up until the time they went to sleep, they didn't leave each other's thoughts. Not that either of them knew it.

Lizzie was even accustomed to seeing Sam around. A huge smile grew on her face anytime he came to the apartment, or anytime they met up for another play date. Sam had completely fallen in love with his daughter. And even more so, he was falling in love with Rachel.

Rachel, on the other hand, was becoming more and more focused on her career. Seeing the three of them turning into their own little family gave Rachel initiative to provide more and more for them. Yet she couldn't seem to land a job.

However, on a crisp Saturday morning, Sam received a phone call from the very girl that was haunting his dreams.

"Hello?" he asked, smiling as he answered the phone.

"Hi, Sammy. Are you up?" Rachel asked.

"I am now," he said with a laugh. "What's up?"

"Do you think you could come over within the next hour? I landed an audition! I called Quinn to babysit Lizzie, but she's gone back to Lima to visit. Do you think you could watch Lizzie for the afternoon?"

"Me? Just me?" he asked nervously.

"Of course! You can handle it. You are her father after all," she said, a warm smile gracing her face.

"Alright, I'll be over soon."

After twenty minutes or so, Sam arrived at the familiar apartment and strolled right in. Lizzie, who was memorized by the TV, looked up and squealed loudly.

"Sam!" she shouted, reaching her arms out toward him.

"There's my girl!" he said, scooping her up off the ground and kissing her cheek.

"Hi, Sammy," Rachel said as she entered the room. She planted a kiss on his cheek, making Sam turn red.

"Hey," he said, bouncing Lizzie on his hip. Rachel brushed past him, fixing her earrings as she did.

"You're sure you'll be okay with this, right?" she asked.

"Of course. How much damage can a one year old do?"

Rachel arrived a while later at the theater where auditions were being held. She had a strange sense of confidence; she had a good feeling about this one. She was auditioning for a reopening of the show Spring Awakening. She'd loved the show since she was a young girl, and was determined to land the role of Wendla.

She walked into the theater, looking around. She was early, as usual. And there didn't seem to be many people there yet. The girl's that were there, however, looked younger than she was. Prettier. More fit for the part. She fiddled with her hands, her nerves starting to get to her.

After receiving her audition number and filling out her paperwork, she sat patiently in one of the house seats. She felt her phone vibrate, and it made her jump. She pulled her phone out and opened the text she'd obtained. It was a picture message: Sam had Lizzie on his lap, they were both smiling like crazy.

"Break a leg, Mommy!"

Rachel smiled down at her phone, her eyes filling with tears. She had to nail this audition. For the three of them.

As Rachel walked back to her apartment, she could've sung at the top of her lungs with joy and not thought twice about it. In a matter of two hours, she completely annihilated her audition, and was immediately asked to come back the next evening for a read through of the part. She swore she could have walked on water.

She reached her apartment and fumbled for her keys. She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Sammy! Guess what?! I-"

She stopped, staring at Sam. And Lizzie. And a woman she'd never seen before in her life.

"Rachel!" Sam sounded as if he was a kid who just got caught stealing candy. The woman stared at Rachel like a dear in headlights. "Rachel, I can explain. This is-"

"Get out." Sam stopped, swallowed hard, and looked at Rachel with pleading eyes.

"Rachel, please let me explain," he said.

"I said get out. Give me my daughter," she said, storming over to Sam. "And get the hell out!"

Sam knew he was in deep trouble. He tried to get the words out, but Rachel kept screaming over him. The woman left in a hurry, leaving Sam behind to defend himself. Lizzie, in all the commotion, started to cry.

"Rachel, she-"

"Samuel James Evans get out of my apartment right now and never come back!" she screamed, tears falling from her eyes.

He knew he didn't have a choice anymore. He grabbed his keys, gave her one last look, and walked out.


End file.
